Nine workers taken to hospital after incident
—Photo by CONOR CHRISTOFFERSON Paramedics check on a group of Unicep Packaging employees who felt nauseous after breathing in fumes from a malfunctioning fuse.
SANDPOINT — Twenty-three employees of Unicep Packaging received medical attention after inhaling fumes from a malfunctioning fuse, according to Matt Avidan, deputy chief of Bonner County EMS.
Of the 23 affected workers, nine were taken to Bonner County General Hospital after feeling nauseous and having difficulty breathing, Avidan said.
“We had a fuse on a piece of equipment overload and instead of popping, it welded itself shut. Some people inhaled the fumes and began to feel ill,” said Unicep general manager Marcus Anderson. “Nobody’s life was at risk, but we wanted to take all the proper precautions.”
Although the fuse emitted smoke, Avidan said there was never an open flame in the building. There was no immediate word on what caused the fuse to malfunction, but Anderson said this is the first time an incident like this has occurred at the facility.
Bonner County EMS, Westside Fire Department, Priest River EMS, Sandpoint Fire Department, and Schweitzer Fire District all responded to the incident, which occurred around 10:30 a.m., according to Anderson.
By early afternoon, all nine employees had been released from the hospital and were feeling fine, said Anderson.
Unicep is an industry leader in the field of single dose medical vials and one of Bonner County’s largest manufactures, with as many as 150 employees.